J Burn Care Rehabil. 2005 May-Jun;26(3):233-7.

Pattern of dysphagia recovery after thermal burn injury

DuBose CM, Groher MG, Mann GC, Mozingo DW.

Department of Communicative Disorders, College of Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610-0174, USA.

Providing nutritional support after thermal burn injury is a critical element in achieving successful patient outcomes. The medical records of 28 patients admitted to an acute care burn unit and referred to speech pathology for a swallowing evaluation were reviewed for patterns of dysphagia care. Results revealed a strong positive linear relationship between percent body burns (r = .71), number of days with a tracheostomy (r = .85), number of days on the ventilator (r = .94) and days to oral feeding. These data can be used for comparison with other models of care, such as early identification and intervention for dysphagia by the speech pathologist during the acute phase of recovery.